The Ruby in Smoke, by Philip Pullman (read by Anton Lesser)

The Ruby in Smoke is one of the audio books we listened to on our recent drive across the province. Unlike Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy, this book is not a fantasy - it is a mystery taking place in the late 1800s. And I loved it.

Sally Lockhart is a 16 year old girl who has been brought up by her father, a retired British army officer who had until a few months prior to the events in the book been a partner in a shipping firm. As the book starts we discover that Mr. Lockhart died, and Sally left parent less. She is quickly drawn into the mystery surrounding her father's death and a legendary priceless ruby that is somehow intertwined with her and her father.

The pacing is right on, the villains are interesting and dastardly (from an oafish thug Mr. Berry who has no qualms beating people to death but, as a staunch member of the temperance movement, will not touch alcohol, to Mrs. Holland, who is a real hag!), the heroes are engaging and endearing, and the plot is nicely mysterious. Though some characters are a little over exaggerated, there is an underlying realism to the story that serves to up the stakes and heighten the tension.

Anton Lesser is an great narrator and his wonderful accents bring a depth to the story that I think many of us readers in North America would miss in the printed version.

I'd highly recommend this, whether you're on a car trip, want something to take your mind from the inanity of household chores, or just fancy a bit of relaxing.

I'm giving this one 8.8 out of 10